Mr. Crotty
English-021
Snow Flower Essay Lily’s world would be nothing without love and pain. There are many different interpretations of love between each character. Some do not express what true love is while others do not experience love at all, just obedience between to married strangers. Love is a reoccurring theme in this novel of these two Chinese laotongs. Lily Wu learns very early that the love she shares with her mother is entirely cocooned in the pain. In fact, the Chinese word for mother means pain. The foot binding that a mother was obligated to do in the era, was a terribly painful ritual in which the daughter's feet completely break into a “C” shape, with the toes curves to the heel. Making her walk on her injured feet is the only way to get them to break, and the mother must enforce this, even if it leads to thrashing. Lily consistently feels unloved because her mother does not display enough of affection towards her. By the age of 7, Lily does not fully understand why her mother puts her through the excruciating pain of foot binding. This process is what will make the daughter valuable and marriageable. The pain of marriage love, to Lily, involves "rupture" and is the picture of subservience. A new wife is expected to not only serve her new husband, but to serve his entire household, particularly his mother, doing the hardest work. She is also a tool to bear and raise children. The relationship between Lily and her husband is extremely parallel than the one shared among Snow Flower and her spouse. Lily’s husband cares for her well-being and that she is taken care of. He never once threatened her or laid a hand on her. They have a true, enchanting marriage for their culture. She would go past her limits for her children and husband. When the sickness epidemic flourished in her village, Lily was the only one to leave the room ,which is risking her to get contaminated and possibly lead to her death. She sacrificed herself to care for her dying mother-in-law and to keep her children free of disease. Lily is the definition of a strong and caring mother. Laotongs are two girls that have a secretive bond that lasts for lifetimes. Snow Flower and Lily consider themselves birds with the same beating heart. They are inseparable with the nu shu that they script in their fan. Writing their thoughts and describing how they long to be together. These laotongs constantly learns from one another. Lily educates Snow Flower on the daily chores of a young lady of a lower class, which will assist Snow Flower as her marriage develops. They want to be each other's’ happiness when there is none occurring in their life at the time. Even through the lies and the pain Lily will always love Snow Flower, even after her death. Snow Flower and her husband have a mismatched marriage. Her husband is a butcher, which brings bad fortune into the next life. He sees Snow Flower no more than an object that he and his mother controls. When they were deserted during the winter months in the mountain, he only kept Lily alive because they assumed there would be a reward; because he knew of her wealth being betrothed into the Lu family. He even had bed time with her whenever he wanted while his family and Lily were present. They do not share true love in comparison with Lily and her husband. Not all endings become happy ones. Love and loss is a commonality throughout this story. Many of the people that Lily and Snow Flower have come to love are now deceased. One thing that will never fade is the laotong relationship that Lily and Snow Flower grew into that will develop into their next life; forever friends.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
The attitudes of both main characters in the story drastically change during the birth of Lily. The husband goes from frantic and excited to annoyed and stressed while the calm wife had quickly turned into and emotional rollercoaster with an evil witch riding it. This shows through their actions, the wife starts to demand a middle name for the baby immediately while the husband did not understand why they couldn’t wait until the whole…
- 557 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
In the short story “The Love of My Life” Boyle describes an extremely powerful love between two young teenagers named China and Jeremy. These two were inseparable, completely taken by love since the end of their junior year when they started dating, and they were not afraid to show it. “They kissed whenever they met, no matter where or when, even if one of them had just stepped out of the room, because that was love, that was the way love was,” and they believed that nothing could end this…
- 1488 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays -
The development of events outside a person’s control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power; fate. An indifferent power that predetermines the inevitable events and outcome of our lives; fate. A simple four letter word that controls so much more than we, human beings, truly come to realize in our lifetimes; fate. In the novel Snow Falling on Cedars, most of the citizens of San Piedro Island also fail to conclude that this powerful force is either working against them, or determining the outcome of their future. Given the fact that Guterson relates the entire novel to how a Japanese-American man, Kabuo Miyamoto, is accused of murdering a white fisherman by the name of Carl Heine, there are many instances in which fate is the reason behind the outcome of events. The whole reason that Carl actually died was because of chance; his death was a mere accident, not a murder. Similarly, the disastrous snowstorm that hits the island of San Piedro during the trial of Kabuo is also a prime example of fate because it controls how the trial goes on for the many characters involved. Likewise, Kabuo’s fate is decided for him, the final verdict being either life or death. In the end, whether the citizens of San Piedro realized it or not, fate was the main force that decided how the events and lives of those living on the island would turn out.…
- 1300 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays -
Lots of symbolism is used within the novel Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson. All the symbols are throughout this novel to help convey the storyline. Guterson constantly brings up the symbols to keep the story flowing as well as to develop several opinions and ideas about the different characters. The snowstorm, the cedar tree, the war are just three of the numerous symbols used in this novel. The snowstorm represents destruction, unpredictable events, along with innocence. Snow is a beautiful act of nature, yet it can go deadly in a matter of minutes. “The trees had closed the road in so that the sky was little more than an indistinct, drab ribbon overhead, but down here the dramatic expanse of it was visible, chaotic and fierce” (320). The islanders find the…
- 445 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
“No soldier ever really survives a war” These are the words of Audie Murphy, he was a notable American combat soldier in the U.S army during World War II. War is unmerciful on the body and additionally to the mind and spirit. You set off to war to fight for your country and be a hero, however, when you come back, your perspective on life has been completely changed. Either you die in action or you live to tell your story. The truth of the matter is; if you have been in battle, you will always have effects haunting you at night. Those horrible memories that you saw and lived through on the battlefield will continuously come back. You live every day with the thought of being a murderer. Throughout the novel Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson, war has a vast impact on Kabuo Miyamoto, a Japanese man living on San Piedro Island.…
- 611 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Discuss the importance of the union between choreography movement and design in AAADT, refer to flowers…
- 562 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Since the beginning of human existence love has earned a meaning of pure bliss and wild passion between two people that cannot be broken. Through out time the meaning of love has had its slight shifts but for the most part, maintains a positive value. In the poem “Love Should Grow Up Like a Wild Iris in the Fields,” the author, Susan Griffin expresses that this long lost concept of love is often concealed by the madness of everyday life and reality. In the poem, Griffin uses many literary elements to help convey the importance of true love. The usage of imagery, symbolism, and other literary techniques really help communicate Griffins’ meaning that love is not joyous and blissful as its ‘s commonly portrayed but often broken by the problems in our everyday lives.…
- 1244 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
In his short story "The Chrysanthemums," John Steinbeck writes of a married couple and examines the psychology of the unhappiness in their marriage. It is a good depiction of marriage in the 1900's which followed traditional roles, where the man is the chief breadwinner and the wife tends to household duties. The setting and the story's protagonist, Elisa Allen, offer similar traits after his own birth place of Salinas, California and his first wife, Carol Steinbeck. Although she is just considered a housewife, Elisa Allen also carries another passion of gardening and growing Chrysanthemums. Steinbeck uses vivid illustration with regard to the environment to make the setting seem callous and closed off, "The high gray-flannel fog of winter closed off the Salinas Valley from the sky and from all the rest of the world." (255) This environment is cause for Elisa Allen's need to have more affection in her life and gives reason for her using gardening as an expression of all the suppressed romance she feels. The climax of the story comes when Elisa is visited by a stranger who has gotten lost and their ensuing conversation and the outcome of the stranger's actions.…
- 951 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Foot binding was a practice in China that began around the 10th century. It lasted for a very, very long time in history – all the way up until the mid-20th century. Foot binding consists of pressing the toes up against the sole of the foot and tying it there. This was done to girls around age 5. The feet would first be numbed before the toes were broken and tied up. After the initial binding was done, the feet would require periodic attention and washing, to avoid serious infections. This process was extremely painful to women and the pain would last through their entire lives. The main reason behind foot binding was to “show-off”. The idea was that a girl who was foot binded came from a family that was rich enough that she didn’t have to work (meaning manual labor). Although, women who were foot binded could still walk, hike, and do minor field work. Women would wear beautiful silk slippers over their now-tiny feet. This fashion still hindered women greatly though. Through life the woman would have to suffer extreme pain and risk infections that could ultimately lead to death. The process would lead to lifelong disabilities. Foot binding has not been known to be implicated since the mid-20th century.…
- 1060 Words
- 5 Pages
Powerful Essays -
The story chosen is Snow White that has become the most popular princess among young girls. Snow White and similar fairy tales are playing bad with young minds by showing male characters stronger and powerful, which is also causing gender discrimination. Whether the fairy tales have significant impact on folks’ lives has been the most discussed phenomenon of the time. Many people agree to the notion that fairy tales and their myths do have an impact in young children’ life while the other rejects this. Scientifically and psychologically, it has been proven that children tend to adopt the habits they see around and that they play a vital role in shaping a child's mind and controlling his/her thoughts. “Two close readings of this version, one psychoanalytic and the other feminist, suggest that because Snow White is part of a literally as well as folkloric tradition, it may be studied as a cultural artifact and text valid in itself” (Shuli Barzilai, 515).…
- 598 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In nineteenth-century China, when wives and daughters were foot-bound and lived in almost total seclusion, the women in one remote Hunan County developed their own secret code for communication called nu shu or “women’s writing”. Some girls were paired with laotongs, "old sames," in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. They painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs to communicate their feelings and emotions to each other. “Footbinding” became a social tradition for all women and showed their social status. Lily and Snow Flower were two laotongs who established their friendship at a young age. They get their foot bound on the same day at the same hour for two laotongs must be alike in every way. Once they get their foot bound, they must never leave the “upstairs women’s chambers” where no man can enter. Through the painful ordeal of getting their foot bound, the two laotongs strengthened their friendship by understanding each other’s pain and suffering. Lily and Snow Flower become acquainted with each other’s lifestyle and they slowly learn about the differences within…
- 830 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Lily’s life changes dramatically. What began this whole spiral of chaos was after Lily fell asleep in her father’s peach orchard late at night, and he found her later in the morning. Absolutely furious, T-Ray forced Lily to kneel over Grits, which was nothing new for her. What changed this series of events was the next day, after Lily had woken up, T-Ray said to her “‘Would it be too much to ask you to get out to the peach stand and do some work? You’re not Queen for a day, you know.’” (Kidd 25) This was not the first nast comment T-Ray had made, however this changed something for Lily. After processing this, Lily said to herself “this may sound crazy, but up until then I thought T-Ray probably loved me some.” (Kidd 25) Lily finally recognized that her own father does not love her; infact, he may even resent her. After this realization, the decisions following were a lot easier for Lily to…
- 891 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Zora Neale Hurston’s novel, “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” portrays many themes that still are relevant to this day. One topic emphasized in the novel is the perception of love and how love is viewed from one person to another. However, there are really two different types of love which can be seen back during the novel’s time of the early 20th century all the way to today which is passionate and companionate love. Passionate love would be what the main character, Janie Crawford is seeking in her life while companionate love is what society wants for Janie. The difference between the two types of love sets up the whole plot and conflict and plays as one of the most important themes of the…
- 125 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
I absolutely love how Laurie Halse Anderson is able to easily put herself into the mind-set of a teenager and write in a way that we are able to relate too. Melinda’s words and actions actually sound like something a teen would say or do. Too many times I have been forced to read a book that I am not able to relate to or make connection with in my own life. Contemporary literature, like Speak is a lot easier to for high school students to understand and apply. This is one of the many reasons why I am so interested in reading more books by this writer. I recently checked out the book Winter Girls by the same author and I’m sad to say I do not love it as much as Speak. The summaries and reviews I read online made it sound amazing!…
- 2165 Words
- 9 Pages
Powerful Essays -
In A.B Yehoshua’s novel,The Lover, a chain of first person monologues are described. These monologues are set up in a mixture of flashbacks and conflicts that the characters undergo. This unique structure gives the novel a special meaning towards its description of the characters, and the story itself. For example, the character Asya is described to be a very hardworking independent woman. But, she has a odd relationship with her husband, Adam, who is a diligent man in charge of a successful mechanics garage. Throughout the story Adam and Asya never, hug never kiss, and they barley speak to one another. Meaning that this structure lets The Lover symbolize the loneliness and insufficient amount of recognition towards each of the characters.For instance, Daffi, the daughter of Asya and Adam, is a teenage girl in lack of attention. So, because of her parents barely paying any type of attention to her, she spends her time wandering the streets most of the day trying to keep herself productive by either stalking people or just walking around. After awhile,she then begins to connect with her fathers worker, Na’im, who also is alone and has no attention from anyone, and in the end they both fall in love. This basically shows how this novel details the meaning of loneliness and the importance of love.…
- 2306 Words
- 10 Pages
Powerful Essays